From Prime-Time to Public Consciousness: Audience Reception of Women’s Empowerment Narratives in Contemporary Pakistani Dramas

This study examines how contemporary Pakistani television dramas function as culturally influential texts that shape public understanding of women’s dignity, autonomy, and social justice. Focusing on Pamal, Jama Taqseem, and Case No. 9, the research argues that these serials operate beyond entertainment by challenging normalised cultural pressures that restrict women’s lives—particularly the moralisation of forced joint-family living, the social acceptance of women’s economic dependence, and the tendency to protect “reputation” at the expense of truth in cases of gendered harm. The objective is to investigate how Pakistani viewers interpret these narratives, what meanings they attach to the dramas’ moral claims, and whether such representations influence attitudes toward family structures, women’s work, and accountability.

Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative audience-reception approach using semi-structured interviews with Pakistani viewers (anticipated n=24–30). Purposive sampling will recruit participants across age groups (Gen Z, millennials, and parents) and household arrangements (joint vs. nuclear), with women comprising at least 70% of the sample to centre gendered lived experience. Interviews (35–50 minutes) will explore three thematic blocks: (i) joint-family expectations and marital autonomy, (ii) women’s independence as safety and survival, and (iii) truth, silence, and social responses to harassment and victim-blaming. Data will be transcribed and analysed through reflexive thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns, contradictions, and perceived possibilities for change within Pakistani society.

By grounding the discussion in viewers’ interpretations, this research contributes empirically to debates on media, gender, and cultural transformation, demonstrating how televised storytelling can become a site of ethical reflection and social critique in Pakistan.